Conducting a house hunt in California is usually a complicated, time-consuming process that can drain all your energy and resources. The good news is that now you can count on the insight provided by California’s number one apartment finding service to find great rentals on a budget.

Finding a Cheap Rental Apartment in Cali Is Not a Mission Impossible

Using the tools and listings provided by Apartment Hunterz, you could spot the rental apartment of your dreams and rent it in less than a week. Here are 7 easy tips that you could apply to get closer to the perfect inexpensive Californian property for rent that you’ve been hunting for so long.

Look for Bigger Apartment Complexes with an Ugly View . As a rule of thumb, in order to find an affordable apartment for rent in California, you must turn your attention to buildings comprising anywhere from 15 to 30 apartments. If you don’t want to make any compromises in terms of square footage, amenities and location, then maybe you should consider settling for an apartment that doesn’t exactly ensure breathtaking views of the city. Nobody dreams of seeing toll booths while looking out their windows, but let’s face it: an apartment with an ugly view is less desirable than the rest; and thus, less expensive. Generally speaking, if you want to spend less on a rental, it would be a good idea to target areas located in the proximity of highways, train lines and tunnel entrances, which tend to offer for rent properties that are considerably less expensive than the ones located two or three blocks away.

Invest in a Few Sets of Quality Earplugs. If you have never been bothered by noisy neighbors, then maybe you should explore your enhanced sound tolerance to get a great deal on the local real estate market. Did you know that apartments facing construction sites or other areas that are known for their annoying noise-generating daily operations can be a real bargain if you are willing (and able) to put up with them? Factor in this option if you’re conducting a house hunt on a tight budget; after all, in this particular situation, a pair of headphones could cost you less than $20 and help you save thousands of dollars in the long run.

Move into a New Apartment During Winter. During the cold season, people are less likely to start looking for a new home and move. During winter, relocating and moving all your stuff from can be quite stressful; this is why many tenants wait until spring to find a new apartment for rent. Use this trend to your best advantage, and consider moving into a rented apartment in December or January. During this time of the year, landlords are more inclined to offer a series of incentives to new tenants to fill their vacancies. On the other hand, during summer, both the inventory and the demand increase dramatically, making it more difficult for budget-conscious people to find a good rental matching their criteria.

Target Low-Key Neighborhoods. If you’re not intimidated by long commutes and above average crime rates, consider researching less desirable neighborhoods that could offer you access to less costly rentals that you could actually afford. Perform a targeted search with Apartment Hunterz to discover the most inexpensive rentals in your ZIP codes of choice.

Don’t Overspend on a Unit with Lots of Extras That You Don’t Actually Need. If you’re planning on spending less on rent, choose an apartment that is as basic as it gets. Avoid properties with luxurious amenities and features, such as granite countertops, Jacuzzi baths and floor-to-ceiling windows; such extras have a fairly low practical value and will inevitably raise the costs of any rental property. Therefore, choose a for rent apartment in California based on the key factors that you value the most, such as location and square footage, and don’t be fooled into thinking that a house with a wide range of high-end amenities will always offer you a superior level of comfort and convenience; in most cases, tenants who fall into this trap end up spending a lot of money on upscale add-ons that they never get to use.

Establish Direct Contact with Landlords and Property Managers. Looking for the best strategy that you could apply to save some cash during your apartment hunt? Here’s an idea worth considering: put your social skills to good use to find a great apartment for rent without the help of a realtor. For instance, by talking to doormen you could get a list of the homeowners who rent out their properties. In this case, you would just have to leave your business card. This way, the landlords who are interested in filling their vacancies will be able to reach you and hopefully make you an offer that you won’t be able to decline.

Check Out Verified Listings Delivered by California’s #1 Apartment Finding Service. At this point, your number one priority is to move out of your parents’ house, regain your independence and find a place that you could actually call home.

Even if you don’t count on a big budget for this ambitious plan, you don’t want to make many compromises when it comes to renting an apartment in California. You want to find the perfect house or apartment that speaks to you and manages to reflect your personality and sense of style.

Oftentimes, this is easier said than done. However, when you count on the support of a great apartment finding service, the whole process gets so much easier. You just have to start looking for properties for rent in your preferred ZIP code, save your searches, get in touch with landlords, download and upload forms and schedule private viewings online. If you’d like to identify the best Californian rentals with just a few clicks, start using the amazing apartment finding service brought to you by Apartment Hunterz and uncover the best deals on the local real estate market in online a few days.

Moving out of your parents’ house was your New Year’s resolution at the end of 2010. Five years later, you are still struggling to accomplish the same goal. So what exactly are you intimidated by, aside from your limited financial possibilities and the overly competitive Californian real estate market that always seems to be full of surprises?

Can You Overcome the Obstacles That Are Standing in the Way of Your Upcoming House Hunt?

Well, first of all, you don’t know much about the latest real estate trends in California and you feel very insecure. Secondly, you can’t decide which sources of information you should monitor to get the expert insight that you require to compare different properties for rent and select the one that fits you like a glove. In all honesty, most first-time tenants face similar challenges. Here are 10 problems that you may experience along the road and the best ways to solve them in a satisfying manner.

Not Doing Your Research. Would you buy a car without test driving it? Would you pick a school for your daughter without analyzing its history and graduation rate? You probably wouldn’t. Therefore, also do your homework when it comes to choosing a “for rent” apartment or house. Proper research will let you find the most convenient deals available in the best neighborhoods that you can afford to live in.

Ignoring Online Channels That Can Save You Hundreds of Dollars. In today’s market, it is virtually impossible to identify real bargains by doing a door-to-door search or counting exclusively on word-of-mouth. The Internet has made the real estate market become so much more dynamic. This is why you shouldn’t hesitate to go online and use the best apartment finding service to analyze a plethora of listings in your area of choice. Such services also facilitate a better communication between tenants and landlords, making it easier for you to avoid scams and bad deals.

Not Realizing that What You Like and What You Can Afford Are Not Always the Same Thing. When conducting a house hunt on a budget, it is imperative to separate the things that you fancy from the ones that you can’t and shouldn’t be able to live without. You may not be able to shed $3,500 on a San Francisco rental located right in the heart of the city, but this shouldn’t stop you from looking for nice spacious properties available for rent in the family-friendly suburbs. For instance, Walnut Creek, a suburb based in the East Bay area and Novato, situated in the North Bay area, represent excellent targets for young families with kids requiring above average public schools and convenient housing options.

Not Getting the Bigger Picture. When it comes to researching properties, there are two categories of people who are doing it wrong: those who don’t bother to check online listings and those who think that they can evaluate and rent a house with just a few clicks. While apartment finding services have simplified the apartment search a great deal, you should still take some time to tour the property in person. This action will help you get the bigger picture by weighing the pros and cons of each option and getting to know your new potential landlord.

Overspending. To avoid spending more than you can afford on your rental, you should follow two important steps: 1. Set up a realistic budget and stick to it, and 2. Use the data provided by a local apartment finder to compare different offers and save the listings that are in your price range.

Enquiring about Properties Listed with Zero Photos. Listings featuring very short, general descriptions that are not accompanied by a set of photos or a video tour are not exactly the best choices that you can stumble across. This kind of evasiveness raises a lot of questions: are you dealing with a property that can be labeled as an eyesore or with a landlord lacking interest? Both scenarios raise a red flag and should determine you to focus on listings that do comprise virtual tours and/or photos.

Not Being Able to Make a Compromise. In life, you simply can’t have it all. Deal with it! If you’re targeting rentals in Southern California, a region well-known for its ultra expensive pieces of real estate, chances are that you will have to compromise at some point. Perhaps you should broaden your horizons by pinpointing rentals available in less expensive neighborhoods or maybe you don’t need a third bedroom after all. Re-analyze your selection criteria and make the right adjustments to profit from a happy, successful house hunt.

Not Realizing That a Potential Landlord Is Open to Negotiations. In difficult economic times, most things are perfectly negotiable. Rental rates are not an exception to this rule, especially in rural areas where good long-term tenants are more difficult to come by. Therefore, do not hesitate to negotiate your rental rates, especially if you’re extending the length of your lease. According to Lifehacker, in case such negotiations are out of the question, at least try to get other attractive perks, like an extra parking spot for example.

Ignoring the Fact That You Can Always Count on a Reliable Apartment Finder in California. At the end of the day, you should remember the fact that you’re not alone in this. Whether you want to get an expert insight into the Californian real estate market, spot recent, verified listings or establish a deeper connection with landlords the easy way, Apartment Hunterz can address all these needs. Use the information provided by California’s most popular apartment finding service to turn your upcoming apartment search into a smashing success.

Do you know what a successful house hunt actually involves? No, in this case we are not talking about luck and personal charm. The ideal combination that would manage to bring you closer to the deal of your life on the Californian real estate market includes lots of research, the very best listings brought to you by a reputable apartment finder and the ability to analyze and filter your own demands and necessities. But above anything else, accurate info is the key to making an educated decision. Here are four questions that you should ask yourself before signing on the dotted line.

How Would I Be Able to Break the Lease? At this point, the $1,200 apartment that you’ve found in the center of San Francisco may seem like a gift from above. But time has this funny way of changing your priorities. How would you be able to ditch your rental property if you were to be offered a promotion and a $3,000 paycheck on a monthly basis? Read the contract multiple times to discover the penalties associated with your escape strategy. Breaking a lease is not something that should be taken lightly; in most cases, such changes involve a 30-days (written) notice and extra fees, so make sure that you and your landlord are on the same page on this matter.

Are There Any Community-Related Rules and Guidelines That I Should Follow? Living in an apartment building may force you to adjust your daily habits and factor in the rules and guidelines imposed by a community that you’re not exactly familiar with. This is why it is so important to ask all the right questions: are there any quiet hours that you should respect? Properties with rules that are overly restrictive may not be the best option for you, especially if you would define yourself as a free spirit. In this context, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to ask for a copy of the landlord’s house rules before signing your lease.

How Am I Supposed to Handle Minor Household Accidents Resulting in Damages? How do you deal with a clogged toilet or a leaking faucet? Naturally, you ask for help. Some of the best Californian rentals have amazingly dependable property managers whose job is to lift this weight off your shoulders. When you rent apartments located in smaller buildings you may have to contact the landlord directly. Either way, you should never attempt to handle emergency situations on your own; most issues could result in a whole lot of wasted time and piles of bills that you would have to pay out of your own pockets.

How Could I Find Cheaper Rentals in My Favorite ZIP Codes? Tired of properties that do not match your criteria? Want to spot the cutest, most affordable Californian rentals in great cities with overly competitive real estate markets?Choose the easy way out and find the right place for you by contacting Apartment Hunterz, the most reliable provider of accurate, recent Cali-based listings and expert advice for tenants.

You agreed to move in that 2-bedroom apartment for rent mostly because the rental rates very extremely low. After all, who could dream about finding a fully-furnished apartment with two spacious bedrooms located in the heart of Sacramento for a little over 800 dollars per month? When you stumble across such deals, you tend not to ask too many questions and sign the lease agreement as soon as possible. Naturally, you chose to follow this approach.

Two weeks after moving in, you started to realize that your new nest is a little too cold and depersonalized for your taste. So what now? Should you try to find another place or should you try to sit down with your landlord and ask for his permission to conduct some remodeling work? If you can’t really afford to spend a whole lot more money on a different Californian rental, you may want to go for the latter option. If you don’t know what type of improvements you should bring into discussion, we give you three excellent options that do not imply sky-high costs or radical changes in terms of design.

Applying a Fresh Coat of Satin or Semi-Gloss Paint. For around 25 dollars, you can buy a can of premium paint that you could use to repaint the walls of your rental apartment. Satin or semi-gloss paint works best, simply because it requires very little maintenance and enables people to get rid of grease and scuff marks fast and effortlessly. It is always recommended to opt for a neutral color palette that will also be to your landlord’s liking. Moreover, neutral colors go with just about anything and have the ability to bring the even the most tired walls back to life, recreating a feel of serenity and cleanliness.

Invest in Neutral, Minimalist Pieces. As a tenant, you probably know that flexibility is a very important attribute that should characterize you. You may want to paint your walls yellow and buy purple custom cabinets and neon green fixtures, but your practical sense probably tells you to stick to cream, ivory or white. The key is to brighten up your space by investing in classic pieces of furniture and decorative elements available in neutral colors. This way, you know for fact that they would find their place in any type of environment, if you were to move into another apartment.

Enhance the Curb Appeal of Your Rental in a Few Simple Steps. OK, so maybe you don’t want to spend an entire day painting your apartment and you’re also not planning on buying any new furniture anytime soon. As a matter of fact, you don’t want to invest any money in a property that you don’t actually own. If that’s the case, focus on small yet very significant upgrades that won’t cost you anything. Make sure the shrubbery and lawn are beautifully manicured, get rid of trash, weeds and debris and place a few potted plants on your porch, to boost the curb appeal of your Californian rental and make it seem lived-in and much more inviting.

If you feel that you’re not on the same page with your landlord on this matter, don’t stress yourself too much over this. Remember that the Californian real estate market is a box full of surprises. With just a little bit of help from Apartment Hunterz you could spot the best listings and get closer to the new home that you have always wanted for yourself.